The New York Times reports: Federal and local prosecutors are investigating whether Representative-elect George Santos committed any crimes involving his finances and lies about his background on the campaign trail. The federal investigation, which is being run by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn, is focused at least in part on his financial dealings. Questions remain about how Mr. Santos …

Variety reports: “Avatar: The Way of Water” has sailed past $1 billion in global ticket in just 14 days, becoming the fastest movie this year to cross the coveted box office milestone. In total, only three films released in 2022 managed to surpass the billion-dollar mark, a short list that includes “Top Gun: Maverick” (which took 31 days) and “Jurassic …

NBC News reports: Lawmakers and staffers must delete TikTok from any House-issued mobile phones and are prohibited from downloading the popular app on such devices, according to an internal memo obtained by NBC News. The memo, sent Tuesday by Catherine L. Szpindor, the chief administrative officer of the House, said the ban comes after her office’s cybersecurity unit found TikTok …

Gothamist reports: The Waterford Crystal Ball sits on the roof of 1 Times Sq. all year long, mostly unnoticed despite being 12 feet in diameter and weighing some 11,875 pounds. This morning a crew of technicians went up there to update the ball’s party outfit with 192 new crystal triangles etched with a design evoking “The Gift of Love.” Times …

Via email from hate group leader Brian Brown: All around us, wokeness abounds. This isn’t a phenomenon that is a reflection of realities just discovered – say as if new information just reaching us from a faraway telescope that suddenly transforms our understanding of the world. No, wokeness is a product of unreality, a twisted way of thinking fostered by …

The New York Post reports: Donald Trump spent nearly his full term as president before learning that his daily schedule was being made public — at which point he ordered a stripped-down version of the document, a former aide testified. The surprising revelation was shared by former White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere in his testimony to the House …

Via email from hate group leader Monica Cole: In several ways, God used your prayers and support in the past year to create an undeniable sense of renewal and optimism in our fight for Christian values in America. First, your support enabled 1MM to play an important role in the cancellation of Disney Channel’s dark cartoon The Owl House. Second, …

Via press release from Rep. Jamie Raskin: After several days of tests, I have been diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, which is a serious but curable form of cancer. I am about to embark on a course of chemo-immunotherapy on an outpatient basis at Med Star Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prognosis for most people …

Newsday reports: Anne Donnelly, the Republican district attorney for Nassau County, has opened an investigation into GOP rep-elect George Santos. Donnelly, a longtime Nassau prosecutor who took office at the beginning of the year, told Newsday in a statement: “The residents of Nassau County must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress. No one is above the law and …

The Hill reports: Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) brought up QAnon several times with Trump and Mark Meadows, according to newly released transcripts of Cassidy Hutchinson’s depositions. “I remember Marjorie Taylor Greene bringing QAnon up several times, though, in the presence of the president, privately with Mark,” Hutchinson said. “Ms. Greene came up and began talking to us about QAnon and …

Yahoo Entertainment reports: Bill Cosby is eyeing a return to touring in 2023. The controversial comedian said as much during a surprise Dec. 28 radio interview on “WGH Talk” with host Scott Spears. Cosby answered “yes” when asked if 2023 is the year he finally might be able to tour again. Cosby, now 85, was convicted in Pennsylvania in April …

CNBC reports: The Biden administration will require airline passengers traveling from China to test negative for Covid before entering the U.S., federal health officials said on Wednesday. All travelers originating from China, Hong Kong or Macau will be required to get tested for Covid two days before their departure to the U.S. The requirements, which apply regardless of nationality and …

ABC News reports: David DePape, the man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer at their San Francisco Home, pleaded not guilty to state charges on Wednesday. The arraignment in San Francisco Superior Court comes two weeks after a judge ruled that DePape will face trial for the October attack. DePape, 42, waived his right to …

“When I was doxxed, someone from Ron DeSantis’s team called me. She said, ‘The governor wanted me to give you a message. If you don’t feel safe, if you need a place to go, to hide, to stay, you can come to the governor’s mansion.’ “She said, ‘We have a guest house for you, and you can stay as long …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: A Tesla with Full Self-Driving software was reportedly responsible for causing an eight-car crash on the Bay Bridge on Thanksgiving that injured 18 people after the car abruptly stopped. But, starting next year, Tesla will effectively be banned from advertising its vehicles as Full Self-Driving under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Senate …

The Hill reports: Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he briefly talked about using the 25th Amendment to remove former President Trump from power during a discussion with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot. But Mnuchin, who served as Treasury secretary from the beginning of the Trump presidency to its end, said …

NBC News reports: The House sergeant at arms, who was head of the D.C. National Guard during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, told the Jan. 6 committee that the law enforcement response would have looked much different had the rioters been Black Americans. “I’m African American. Child of the sixties. I think it would have been a vastly different …

The Daily Beast reports: Twelve weeks after its rocky launch, conservative dating app The Right Stuff is still failing to seduce large numbers of right-wing users. In October, the Peter Thiel-backed startup managed to generate 40,000 downloads. But between Nov. 1 and Dec. 20, that figure dropped to just 11,000 downloads. The app, cofounded by former Trump administration official John …

Reuters reports: A right-wing militia member convicted in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced to over 19 years in prison on Wednesday in a U.S. District Court, prosecutors said Barry Croft Jr., 47, a member of the far-right Three Percenters militia group, was convicted in August by a federal court jury in Grand Rapids, Michigan, of …

From a joint EU and US press release: The European Union and the United States of America are concerned about the continued tense situation in the north of Kosovo. We call on everyone to exercise maximum restraint, to take immediate action to unconditionally de-escalate the situation, and to refrain from provocations, threats, or intimidation. We are working with President Vučić …